Improving Inclusivity in Mountain Biking: Project FIAS Insights

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by Hannah Dobson March 22, 2025 1

Words like ‘framework’, ‘strategic programme’ and ‘toolkit’ might be things you take to the trails to escape. But for those in the bike industry, they’re words that might make a whole world of difference to the experience riders actually have. Project FIAS (Fostering Inclusive Action Sports) is led by the University of Bristol Business School, and has brought a lens of academic rigour and marketing theory to the mountain bike and action sports world.

Their studies have looked at the representation of women in mountain biking, their inclusion in the industry, and how women riders experiences of mountain biking have been shaped by these factors. Inclusivity is an area where the industry is still learning – it’s not all that long ago that painting a bike pink and making it smaller was about as far as encouraging women to ride went. And, did that actually work to expand the market?

Like other outdoor action sports, mountain biking has traditionally been a male-dominated sport. Only 20% of participants are women. Project FIAS has been established to address this issue and understand the strong role of the media and marketing in fostering the sport’s culture and its inclusivity.

It’s good business to be inclusive – more bums on bikes is more people to sell to. Project FIAS has looked at some of the efforts that have been made, and examined some of the success stories. That’s all been brought together in a framework that identifies four key pillars to improving inclusivity:

1. Community Building

2. Foster integration of women+ into mountain biking culture;

3. Support women+ into positions of leadership in mountain biking; and

4. Continue to support the transformation of cultural representation of mountain biking.

Community Building is seen as particularly important, and they’ve produced a free toolkit to help people build inclusive communities. It covers many practical issues, such as which social media channels to use for different audiences or purposes, and which information to include on a ride description.

There are some interesting points in there that might help you even if you’re only doing very informal encouraging of people to ride. For example, the suggestion that rides are advertised including how long you can expect to spend on a bike, rather than just in terms of mileage.

If you’re someone who leads a ride, plans events, or just wants to try and help get more people on bikes, then it’s free to download the toolkit. If you have a read and something jumps out at you as especially interesting or useful, why not highlight it in the comments below? It might encourage someone else to take a look.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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